Removing Blue from LED Light at Night May Reduce Obesity and Diabetes Risk

STONEHAM, Mass., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The harmful effects of conventional LED lights at night, which disrupt circadian clocks and increase appetite, insulin resistance and diabetes risk, may be avoided by removing bio-active blue wavelengths from white LED light, according to a research study titled "Taking the Obesity and Diabetes Risk out of Light at Night" to be presented by Dr. Martin Moore-Ede, CEO of Circadian Light at the "Light for Health and Wellbeing" Conference in Newport Beach, CA on July 27, 2017.

Dr. Moore-Ede, the former Harvard Medical School professor who led the team that located the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) circadian clock in the human brain, will present the results of cross-over pilot studies comparing insulin resistance and appetite levels in healthy volunteers working simulated 12-hour night shifts under conventional LED lights, or under Circadian Light LED fixtures which maintain high quality white light while regulating the dosage and timing of the bio-active blue content across the 24 hour day-night cycle by time of day, location and season.

"The preliminary results show that blue-depleted LED light at night minimizes circadian disruption and also appears to prevent the elevated appetite and insulin resistance seen in the same subjects exposed to conventional LED lights at night," said Dr. Moore-Ede. "The Circadian LED lights remove over 90% of the 430-500 nm harmful blue content at night while producing quality white light with a color temperature (CCT) above 3200K, and a color rendering index (CRI) above 80". "For the first time, we do not have to choose between energy efficient LED lights and health, we can have both!" concluded Dr. Moore-Ede.

The Light for Health and Wellbeing Conference will bring together leading researchers from Harvard, Stanford, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Center for Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications (LESA) with lighting industry innovators to discuss the latest science on how light influences human health. The conference will be held on July 27, 2017 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, Newport Beach, California. Dr. Moore-Ede's presentation is at 9:30 am.

CEOCFO: Dr. Moore-Ede, what is the premise and concept behind CIRCADIAN Light™?Dr. Moore-Ede: CIRCADIAN Light™ fixtures control the blue spectral content of white light across the 24-hour day — which is critical to human health and productivity. Medical research has shown that people exposed to light at night have a much higher risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer. For example, women who regularly work night shifts and are exposed to light at night have 65% higher rates of breast cancer. The problem lies in the blue content of white light. Special melanopsin-containing photoreceptors in our eyes detect the blue content of light and use that to control our circadian rhythms. During the day, this blue light content boosts alertness, mood and productivity but at night it resets our circadian clocks and disrupts the cancer protecting hormones. Unfortunately, conventional energy-efficient LED lights are rich in the very same blue wavelengths that maximally disrupt circadian rhythms at night and directly trigger the disease pathways for diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases. By precisely regulating the blue content of LED light across day and night, CIRCADIAN Light Fixtures maximize health and productivity around-the-clock without compromising light quality.

CEOCFO: Where does CIRCADIAN Light come in? Where does the company come into play with the situation and what people have learned?Dr. Moore-Ede: CIRCADIAN Light has identified and patented the spectrum that generates white light almost devoid of the harmful blue wavelengths at night and has used this to develop proprietary LED chips.

CEOCFO: How have you managed to do that?Dr. Moore-Ede: If you just remove the blue wavelengths from white light, you end up with unattractive and depressing yellow light. To create white LED light without blue, we conducted medical research trials in our residential CIRCADIAN Light Center where more than a hundred people have lived 24/7 for days or weeks, and worked 12-hour day or night shifts to identify the specific wavelengths that did not trigger the circadian disruption and health problems. As a result, we have constructed a “24-hour spectrum of health” that harnesses the positive effects of bio-active blue during the day and removes the harmful bio-active blue at night based on this medical research.

CEOCFO: Are most people understanding of the problem with light? Do people that should be aware of the CIRCADIAN Light know you?Dr. Moore-Ede: The end users – the people who are exposed to blue-rich LED light during evenings and night - are becoming very aware. These include the general public, who because of thousands of news articles and media stories are 2 becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of blue wavelengths from LED lights at night in their homes. Even more concerned are the managers of 24/7 businesses where millions of people work night or evening shifts and where employers and building owners face potential liability from the harmful effects of blue-rich LED light. Less aware are the traditional lighting sales channels – the manufacturing reps, distributors, ESCOs and contractors who are still highly invested in promoting conventional LED lighting sales based on energy efficient and lowest lifetime cost. They need to realize there is another stakeholder at the table – the health and safety community -- who see an impending public health crisis from blue-rich LED lights.